Prince Nolan never does anything without absolute certainty. If he told Serena Feng that he’s found Zed’s whereabouts, then there’s no doubt he truly has news of Zed.
Early the next morning, Prince Nolan informed Serena Feng that Zed was in Golden Sands County, brought into town by a group of traffickers.
Zed, with his delicate features and soft skin, looked both adorable and refined—clearly a child from a wealthy household, impeccably brought up.
Children like him fetch the highest prices. Zed wandered the streets alone, making him a prime target for traffickers. He simply followed them from county to county, never once being discovered.
Zed knew how to use the traffickers to leave town; likewise, Prince Nolan could monitor traffickers in the surrounding cities, tracking them in hopes of finding Zed.
Sure enough, after Prince Nolan tracked several traffickers, he finally spotted Zed being led away by them in Golden Sands County.
Zed was clever enough to make people grit their teeth. Not only was he smart, he was strikingly beautiful and had a sweet tongue. A few charming smiles and calls of 'Uncle' were all it took for the traffickers to treat him gently.
He was obedient too, with big dark eyes that showed no fear or panic—only curiosity and longing—making the traffickers uneasy.
Still, no matter how much they pitied him, a smart and beautiful child like Zed was sure to fetch a high price. The traffickers would never let him go.
That afternoon, Serena Feng and Prince Nolan arrived in Golden Sands County. As soon as they entered the city, two plain-clothed men dressed in blue respectfully stepped forward and bowed to Prince Nolan, greeting him: "Master."
"Lead the way," Prince Nolan instructed the driver, signaling for the carriage to move on.
The two men said nothing more, turning to walk ahead. Serena Feng and Prince Nolan followed at a leisurely pace. Dorian Owen’s eyes darted everywhere, restless, but he knew his limits—what he could and couldn’t do—so for now, he just obediently tagged along without a word.
After winding through several turns, the two plain-clothed men led the group to an ordinary residential house. "Master, the person is inside. Our brothers are watching the area."
The men in blue pointed out several spots, indicating where their people were stationed.
"Good. Keep your eyes on the inside." Prince Nolan wasn’t planning to act yet; instead, he turned and walked into another courtyard.
Dorian Owen was anxious. Seeing Prince Nolan leave, he hurried to catch up, wanting to ask when they would make their move. But it wasn’t convenient to ask on the way. As soon as Prince Nolan entered the room, Dorian blurted out, "Prince Nolan, when are we going to act? Don’t let Zed escape again."
"What’s the rush?"
"How can I not be anxious? That kid is so slippery—if he gets away, he’ll be impossible to catch!" Dorian was genuinely worried. He’d spent a whole day and night fantasizing about how to torment Zed, and now that the target was right in front of him, Prince Nolan still wouldn’t let him act. It was just cruel.
"With me here, he won’t escape. You’d better behave yourself, or I’ll tie you up and throw you to Zed." Another threat—one that worked wonders on Dorian Owen.
Dorian shrank back, curling up obediently in the corner without another word.
Serena Feng had a rough idea—Prince Nolan wanted to wait until Zed made a move to kill, then catch him in the act. After all, Zed’s guard would be lowest while he was murdering, making it harder for him to escape.
Well, Serena only guessed half of it. With Prince Nolan, ordinary people shouldn’t even try to predict his thinking.
By evening, the blue-clad agent returned to report: "Master, Zed is about to make his move."
"Take my command token and have the county magistrate send constables and yamen runners." Prince Nolan produced a black command token, tossing it to the blue-clad man, who received it carefully and withdrew.
As soon as the agent left, Dorian Owen couldn’t wait any longer and rushed forward: "Prince Nolan, you’re calling the officials—are you trying to have Zed killed?"
"If you kill, you pay with your life—that’s how it’s supposed to be." Zed’s hands were soaked in blood. The people he’d killed were no fewer than Dorian Owen’s victims; by law, even a hundred executions wouldn’t be enough.
"But Zed is just a child. By law, he won’t be beheaded." No matter the era, the law always protects children. After all, kids and adults are worlds apart in strength—though Zed was an exception.
"I’m not after his life. Just wait... If we show up too soon, that child will never learn his lesson." Zed’s world had always been one of violence; he’d never understood law or rules.
In Zed’s world, he was the law and he made the rules.
This time, Prince Nolan had to make him understand: being the Demon Sect’s young heir meant nothing. Zed had to obey the rules of this world—he couldn’t act with impunity.
Serena Feng nodded in agreement at the same spot. "That’s for the best. Only by suffering a little will he learn a lesson and understand right from wrong."
The Demon Sect couldn’t shield Zed forever. His father had twisted his upbringing. Since they’d run into Zed and even used him, they would do their utmost to help him now.
Dorian Owen had originally disagreed, but when he heard Serena say Zed would suffer, he immediately shut his mouth, his eyes wide open.
He wanted to watch. Lately, he’d really enjoyed seeing Zed suffer.
Prince Nolan and Serena Feng didn’t have to wait long—after just a quarter of an hour, there was commotion outside. Dorian couldn’t sit still; without another word, he slipped out and picked a spot with the best view to watch the spectacle.
"Want to go take a look?" Prince Nolan didn’t care for such excitement; he’d set the stage himself and knew exactly how things would play out. Still, he was willing to accommodate Serena.
"No, there’s nothing worth seeing. I’ve watched Zed kill more than once." Serena was just a bit worried—worried Zed would escape again, or that the officers might make a mistake and kill him.
"Not going is fine too." A blood-soaked scene wasn’t much to look at anyway.
In Prince Nolan’s view, everything Zed did was unnecessary. If you’re going to kill, just do it in one stroke.
Drawn-out torture only gave the victim a chance to survive—and that was trouble.
Of course, Prince Nolan would never discuss such matters with a kid like Zed.
Outside, the noise continued; inside, Prince Nolan remained calm, setting up a chessboard and playing against himself.
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Serena had been a little worried at first, but seeing Prince Nolan absorbed in chess, she couldn’t help stepping forward. Watching him, she forgot all about what was happening outside.
In truth, forgetting wasn’t a problem. Everything outside was unfolding just as Prince Nolan had predicted. When the officers rushed in, Zed sensed something was wrong and tried to put away his knife and run, but the ever-watchful Dorian Owen spotted him and flicked a pebble at Zed’s leg.
Zed was just a child—his legs buckled instantly and he fell to the ground. At that moment, the officers closed in and subdued him.
At first, they hadn’t believed a child could be the culprit, and didn’t take the arrest seriously. But orders from above had made it clear—this kid was a major offender, with crimes in several counties and extremely violent methods. They had no choice but to take it seriously.
Zed was a clever child. After a moment’s thought, he realized he’d fallen into someone’s trap. What puzzled him was why the officers had come for him, and not Prince Nolan or Serena Feng.
Zed looked confused, tilting his head at the officer. His pretty face showed a hint of unease and bewilderment, which softened the officer’s heart. He unconsciously loosened his grip and gently comforted him: "Don’t worry, little brother. Our magistrate is a good man. You’re just a child—we don’t believe you could kill anyone."
"Mm, I’ll behave." Zed didn’t know who had set him up, so he decided to stay calm and comply, not even thinking about escaping.
Since someone had set a trap, there was no way he could escape. It was better to just go along with the officers. He was a trafficked child—being taken away wouldn’t do him any harm.
You had to admit, Zed was a shrewd kid—too bad he’d run into Prince Nolan...